Fasteners for ski boots



May 11, 1965 E. TEUF EL FASTENERS FOR SKI BOOTS Filed D60. 9, 1963 C/MMW /5A/M/ United States Patent 3,182,366 FASTENERS FOR SKI BOOTS Ewald Teufel, Tuttlingen, Germany, assignor to Rieker & Co., Tnttlingen, Germany Filed Dec. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 329,149 Claims priority, application Ggrmany, Dec. 13, 1962,

Claims. in. 24-68) lever depending upon whether in the closed position of" the fastener the drawing member is hooked to the tightening lever or to a corresponding device which is provided on the other closure flap. The tightening lever is pivotable about an axis which extends substantially parallel to a line along the dorsal part or instep of the boot and within a plane which extends substantially vertically to this line so that, when the fastener is moved from the open position, in which the tightening lever is pivoted upwardly, to the closed position in which the tightening lever is depressed, a tension will be exerted upon the drawing member. This results in the edges of the closure flaps being drawn toward each other so as to close the boot tightly toward the outside to prevent any entry of moisture or snow.

In the known fasteners of the above-mentioned type, the drawing member engages upon the tightening lever at a point which is spaced from the pivot axis of the tightening lever. This has the disadvantage that in the closed position of the fastener the drawing member exerts a torque upon the tightening lever which may cause the fastener to open of its own accord and may lead to serious accidents of the skier if no special measures are taken in order to prevent the torque from exerting itself. This has been accomplished, for example, by mounting the tightening lever on the outer flap of the boot and as far downwardly as possible from the highest point of the instep. The position at which the drawing member engages upon the tightening lever which extends downwardly along the shank for a certain distance is much lower than that of the pivot axis of the tightening lever, so that the danger will be reduced that the tightening lever might be drawn upwardly by the tension which acts upon the drawing member when the fastener is in the closed position. However, due to the low lateral position of the tightening lever on the shank, there is a considerable danger that when the skier runs along a used ski track which is depressed in frozen snow the end of the lever may come in contact with the wall of the depressed track and may thereby be pushed upwardly so that the fastener will open. These prior boot fasteners therefore do not give the skier the required insurance that the fastener will never open accidentally.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a fastener for a ski boot which avoids the danger that, because of the tension exerted by the drawing member, the tightening lever might accidentally swivel about its pivot axis to its open position in which the fastener is released. According to the invention, this object is attained generally by a novel design and construction of the fastener and by mounting the tightening lever thereof substantially at the highest possible point of the instep.

More specifically, the above-mentioned object is attained by securing the drawing member to the tightening lever at the pivot point thereof and by designing the pivot 3,182,356 Patented May H, 1965 member of the tightening lever so as to be adjustable in the direction in which the tension is exerted upon the fastener. The device for hooking the drawing member to the other closure flap of the boot consists of a plate which is secured to this flap and has a plurality of hooks thereon upon either of which the drawing member may be hooked to effect a coarse adjustment of the fastener. Since the pivot axis of the tightening lever and the point of connection of the drawing member on the tightening lever coincide with each other, the drawing member cannot exert any torque upon the tightening lever. Consequently, the danger that the fastener might open of its own accord is absolutely prevented.

The drawing member of the fastener according to the invention may be designed so as to permit a very accurate adjustment of the fastener between each pair of adjacent hooks of the hook plate. For this purpose, the loopshaped part of the drawing member which may be hooked upon either of the hooks on the hook plate is connected to a setscrew which is screwed into the tapped bore in the pivot member of the tightening lever.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of a ski boot which is equipped with three fasteners according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a perspective view of one of the fasteners, the tightening lever of which is shown in the open position and the drawing member of which consists of a loop and a setscrew which are pivotably connected to each other;

FIGURE 3 shows a plan view of a similar fastener a one-piece drawing member in the closed position; w 1 e FIGURE 4 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a one-piece drawing member.

The ski boot as illustrated in FIGURE 1 is provided at the instep part with three fasteners according to the invention. Each fastener essentially consists of a tight ening part including a tightening lever which is mounted on the inner flap 1 of the boot and of a hook-plate part which is secured to the outer flap 2. When these two parts are connected to each other and the tightening lever is tightened, the tension which is exerted by the fastener will be directed from the outside toward the inside so that the two flaps 1 and 2 are drawn toward each other.

Each tightening lever 3 has a substantially U-shaped cross section with two lateral walls which are spaced from each other and which at one end of the lever form the bearings of a pivot member 4 which extends transverse to these walls and the thicker central part of which has a tapped bore into which a setscrew 5 is screwed. This pivot member 4 which forms the swivel axis of the tightening lever 3 is also slidable along a pair of longitudinal slots 6 in the side walls of a member 7 of a substantially U- shaped cross section which covers the threaded part of the set-screw 15 and is provided with eyes 8, the holes 9 of which are adapted to receive rivets or the like for securing the member 7 to the inner flap 1 of the boot. The tightening lever 3 is further pivotably connected to the U-shaped member '7 by means of two arms 10 and pins 11 and 12 which connect these arms to the side walls of the tightening lever 3 and those of the U-shaped member 7.

According to FIGURE 2, setscrew 5 which as already stated, is partly covered by the U-shaped member 7 is pivotably connected at the thicker outer end 5' of its shank to a loop 13 which may be hooked over any of the hooks 14 on a plate 15. This plate 15 is provided with bores 16 into which rivets may be inserted to secure by the particular kind of run to be made;

S the plate to the outer flap 2 of the boot. The pivotal connection between the two parts of the drawing member, i.e. the setscrew 5 and the loop 13, has the advantage: that this drawing member can adapt itself very smoothly" to the shape of the instep when the fastener is tightenedi According to FIGURES 3 and 4, the drawing member 5, 13 consists of a single integral element. Instead ofbe-a ing made of one piece of material, the loop part 13may' also be made of wire or a flexible cable which is integrally secured to the shank of the setscrew 5.

'T he function of the fastener according to the invention or not sufficiently together, he again unhooks the loop 153 and then screws the setscrew 5 farther in or out of the.

nut threads in the pivot member 4. He then hooksthe loop 13 again over the same or another hook 14 and' tightens the lever 3. The skier can thus attain a very accurate adjustment of the fastener so that the boot will be as tight on his foot as desired by him or as required If desired, a check nut 17 may also be provided on setscrew 5 to prevent the'adjustment once made from being changed accidentally.

' When the tightening lever 3 is pulled upwardly or depressed the pivot member 4 carrying the setscrew 5 is shifted along the slots 6 in the U-shaped covering memher 7, whereby the drawing member 5, 13 is either loosened or tightened. When the U-shaped tightening lever 3 is depressed and the fastener islthus in the closed or tightened position, lever 3 will fit over the similary U- shaped member 7 7 without substantially increasing the thicknessof the latter. Inthis position, the arms 10 and the pivot pins 11 and 12 will also be disposed in a deadcenter position or over-dead center position relative to the pivot member 4 so that no torque will be exerted through the arms 16 upon the lever 3 which mighttend to pivot this lever 3 upwardly about the pivot member 4. The pivots 4 and 12 therefore lie in the direction in which 7 the tension is exerted by the loop 13 upon the hook 14 on plate 15.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no Way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is: I

1. A fastener for a ski boot comprising amounting member secured to a first of two closure flaps of the boot and extending substantially at a right angle to the longi tudinal axis of the boot, a lever, atleast one arm pivotably connected at one end to said mounting member p and ai the other end to said' lever at a point intermediate the ends thereof forming the pivot axis of said lever,-said lever being pivotable about said axis'within a plane sub- If the: a

stantially at a right angle to said longitudinal axis of the boot, a drawing member having a loop at one end thereof, pivot means slidably mounted in said mounting member and pivotably connecting one end of said lever to said drawing member near the other end thereof and for slid- :ably connecting said end of said lever to said mounting member so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction thereof when said lever is being pivoted, and a plurality of hooks secured to the second flap of said boot and spaced from and substantially in alignment with each other, said loop on said drawing member adapted to behooked selectively over one or another of 'said hooks, whereby said lever can be swung to a closed position to secure the flaps together by moving the other end of said lever serving as a handle in the direction toward said loop, to thereby exert a tension by said loop on one of said hooks to-draw said two closure flaps toward each other, while when said handle is drawn away from said loop, said tension is released and said loop may be disconnected from said hook.

2. A fastener as defined in claim 1, in which said mounting member has a substantially U-shaped cross section with a pair of parallel walls spacedfrom each other and havirn longitudinal slots therein, said pivot means comprising a member extending transversely between said walls and into said slots and guided by the walls of said slots, said last member and a substantial part of said drawing member except said loop being covered by said mounting member.

3. A fastener as defined in claim- 1, in which said drawing member comprises a screw, said loop being pivotably connected to one end of said screw, said pivot means comprising a nut having pins thereon slidably guided in said mounting member, said lever .being pivotably connected to said pins, said screw adapted to be screwed for different distances into said nun-whereby said drawing member may be finely adjusted relative to said lever.

4. A fastener as defined in claim 3, in which said mounting member has a substantially U-shaped cross sec- :tion with a pair of parallel walls spaced from each other :and having longitudinal slots therein and wherein said 7 pins extend transversely through-said slots to be guided therein, said nut and at least the threaded part of said, screw being covered by said mounting member.

5. A fasteneras definedin'claim4, in which said lever,

also has a substantially U-shaped cross section but slightly larger than that of said mounting member and is adapted to fit over said'moun'tingmember when said lever is in the tightened position. 1

Reterences (Iited by the Examiner DONLEY'J'. ,sTooKn Iojr-rimar Examiner. aonnYnoAmEmminer. 2 V j 

1. A FASTENER FOR A SKI BOOT COMPRSIING A MOUNTING MEMBER SECURED TO A FIRST OF TWO CLOSURE FLAPS OF THE BOOT AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE BOOT, A LEVER, AT LEAST ONE ARM PIVOTABLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID MOUNTING MEMBER AND AT THE OTHER END TO SAID LEVER AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF FORMING THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID LEVER, SAID LEVER BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT SAID AXIS WITHIN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE BOOT, A DRAWING MEMBER HAVING A LOOP AT ONE END THEREOF, PIVOT MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID MOUNTING MEMBER AND PIVOTABLY CONNECTING ONE END OF SAID LEVER TO SAID DRAWING MEMBER NEAR THE OTHER END THEREOF AND FOR SLIDABLY CONNECTING SAID END OF SAID LEVER TO SAID MOUNTING MEMBER SO AS TO BE SLIDABLE IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION THEREOF WHEN SAID LEVER IS BEING PIVOTED, AND A PLURALITY OF HOOKS SECURED TO THE SECOND FLAP OF SAID BOOT AND SPACED 